What It Really Takes To Build a Food Business: Part 1
Oct 18, 2024
36:16
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In this engaging discussion, Becca Millstein, founder of Fishwife, Brian Rudolph of Banza, and Caue Suplicy from Barnana share their culinary entrepreneurial journeys. They delve into the challenges of launching food brands during the pandemic, from supply chain woes to creative solutions. The trio discusses their unique products, such as gourmet canned fish and chickpea pasta, while reflecting on the importance of branding and personal dietary shifts. Their stories highlight resilience and innovation in the competitive food industry.
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Quick takeaways
Becca Millstein's journey emphasizes the critical role of innovating within an untapped market while building a strong brand identity.
Brian Rudolph's experience highlights the challenges of scaling production and maintaining quality after attaining initial retail success.
Deep dives
Becca Milstein's Journey to Fishwife
Becca Milstein founded Fishwife after experiencing a revelation during the COVID-19 lockdowns, drawing inspiration from her travels in Spain where she encountered a fresh take on canned fish. Before starting Fishwife, she had no intention of becoming an entrepreneur, having developed her skills in marketing through her work at various startups. The need for high-quality, accessible canned fish became clear as she consumed this product during the pandemic, leading to discussions with friends that solidified her business idea. She recognized an untapped market in the U.S. for premium tinned fish and committed to revitalizing the category with innovative branding and a strong visual identity.
Brian Rudolph's Gluten-Free Pasta Revolution
Brian Rudolph created Bonza after cutting gluten from his diet and discovering the health benefits of chickpeas, particularly their nutritional density. He began experimenting in his kitchen, creating chickpea pasta that would eventually turn into a consumer brand. After a successful crowdfunding campaign and a fortuitous opportunity on a reality TV show, he gained the financial backing needed to launch his product in retail stores, including Meijer. However, scaling production proved challenging due to manufacturing difficulties, forcing him to innovate cooking methods to ensure the pasta's quality and fulfill retailer demands.
Cauê Suplice's Barnana and Banana Upcycling
Cauê Suplice founded Barnana with the vision of creating a brand around dehydrated bananas in the U.S., inspired by his childhood experiences in Brazil where such snacks were commonplace. Initially focusing on pursuing a career in triathlons, he soon realized the potential for making dehydrated bananas a mainstream snack option in America. Over the three years it took to launch, he utilized his connections to find manufacturers and formulate a viable product. His persistence paid off when he showcased Barnana at Expo West, securing significant retail interest and orders despite starting with a shoestring budget.
The Challenges of Launching Food Brands
Each founder faced unique challenges while launching their food brands, highlighting the often chaotic nature of entrepreneurship. Becca navigated supply chain issues and built her brand primarily as a direct-to-consumer model during the pandemic, while Brian struggled with production quality and fulfilling large retailer orders after initial success. Cauê's journey involved leveraging his network and resources creatively to establish Barnana, culminating in a successful debut at a major food expo. These experiences illustrate the resilience and adaptability required to turn food ideas into thriving businesses.
Innovation is a constant in the food industry. But it’s incredibly difficult to go from a tasty idea to an actual spot on the grocery store shelves. So if you have an idea for a food business, how do you turn it into reality?
In this special two-episode series brought to you by Klaviyo, three founders share what it took to get their products on those shelves – and what it still takes today to keep their brands growing.
This episode covers the journey from ideation to production and actual sales. Guy is joined by Becca Millstein from Fishwife, Brian Rudolph from Banza, and Caue Suplicy from Barnana.
This episode was produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was James Willetts.
Our thanks to Klaviyo for sponsoring today’s episode.